


when the fire's at your feet again (I'll be by your side)

by blacksatinpointeshoes



Series: Agent Robbie Reyes 'verse [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adjusting, Daisy helps, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mostly hurt, Panic Attacks, Robbie Comes Back From Hell, Robbie Reyes Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 06:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12315852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacksatinpointeshoes/pseuds/blacksatinpointeshoes
Summary: He says her name like a prayer; Daisy is the one thing keeping him corporeal on this rocky plane of existence. She is a mantra, a rhythm, a rock, and Robbie holds on to the sound of her voice like a lifeline.Daisy. Daisy. Daisy.





	when the fire's at your feet again (I'll be by your side)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Never Knew How To Breathe, Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11610666) by [Fierysky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fierysky/pseuds/Fierysky). 



> wrote this surprisingly fast, with the inspiration of the fantastic Fierysky (@whistlingwindtree on tumblr!) and her amazing work. don't have much to say except enjoy!

It's hard to concentrate on a debrief with three broken ribs, but somehow Robbie Reyes is managing it. He’s been through worse before, what with dying and going to another dimension, so if _this_ is difficult, Robbie must be getting soft.

Much harder than paying attention to Coulson is the concerned prickle of Daisy's eyes on the back of his neck, a near painful sensation that sends the Rider into a frenzy. As Coulson rambles on, Robbie's hands gravitate to his side, clamping down hard on his injuries. His head throbs and his whole body aches and maybe – just maybe – he isn't quite as focused on this debrief as he thinks he is. 

"You with us, Reyes?" asks Coulson, not unkindly, and the words shake Robbie out of his murky stupor. Glancing upwards, Robbie finds the remainder of the team staring at him with sympathetic eyes. _Burn them all,_ growls the Rider, and a searing heat washes through Robbie's body. _They could be a threat to you. Burn them all._

"I'm fine," Robbie says unconvincingly, pain shooting up his side as he straightens his posture. He flexes his fingers, tries not to wince. "Took a hit earlier. Simmons can check me out afterwards, right?" 

Coulson blinks once, surprised with Robbie's nonchalant attitude. Waving a hand towards the young scientist, he shrugs and replies, "Sure, if that's what you want. We're almost done here anyway." 

From behind him, Robbie can feel Daisy shift in her chair, as though about to speak. Robbie grits his teeth and prepares to hear her voice - the voice that, despite himself, he is aching to hear once again - but nothing comes. 

After a long moment Robbie realises that Coulson has finished talking. He really is out of it today. Robbie wonders if he’s misjudged the extent of his injuries, or if the adrenaline from the fight is just seeping out of his pores and leaving him exhausted.

The mission had been a routine security sweep and retrieval run, but an encounter with a group of violent Watchdogs had quickly turned hostile. Robbie had felt three of his ribs snap as he was hurled across a strip of asphalt and had then met a force of pummelling fists aimed directly into his kidneys. The Rider had not taken the threat well, crashing down on the attackers, and Robbie's assailant is now little more than dust. 

Robbie still feels like shit, but that's besides the point. 

"Daisy can walk you down to the lab," Robbie hears Coulson say, and his head snaps up again. He’s so muddled, still half stuck in the heat of battle with the Ghost Rider blazing in his head. "Get some rest, kiddo." Coulson rests a hand on Robbie's shoulder, and no one is prepared for what happens next. 

Externally, Robbie flinches. Hard. He jerks away from the contact, slapping Coulson away from him and nearly falling off of his chair in the process. The room goes quiet instantly, a hush falling over it like a weighted blanket. There is something dangerous in Robbie's eyes, something primal and afraid, something that gives the rest of the team pause.

"R-right," Robbie stutters suddenly, shattering the icy quiet. He shoves himself upwards and nearly sprints towards the door. "Right, I - I'll go do that, I'll do that." It takes only seconds before Daisy follows him. 

The scene may have been odd to the team, but in Robbie's head things are much, much worse. Coulson's touch flings him back into Hell, where anything grabbing at him was a demon with its hackles raised. When Robbie glances down at his hands he sees them stained red, and the Rider is screaming at him, the Rider is screaming to burn them all and there is so much noise, too much noise, _too much –_

Robbie bolts, trying to run from the thundering beats of his own frantic heart, ignoring the blinding pain in his ribs and stumbling breathlessly down the hall. He is choking back screams and surrounded by the spectres of his dead, demons peeling out of the walls and beating Robbie into a pulp. The other dimension may have been awful but _this_ is hell, this is hell a million times over - hot and sick, with the Rider bellowing curses that echo against the walls - and Robbie can't _breathe._

His throat is tight and his body is on fire, the heat of the Rider threatening to overwhelm him. Robbie falls against the wall, supporting himself with a single shaking hand before sliding to the ground, his back heaving with ugly, desperate wheezes. Robbie feels a wetness on his face, and suddenly all of his senses come flooding back in sharp focus. Too sharp, in fact;  the lights are pounding feverishly into his skull and even Robbie’s trusted jacket feels heavy on his back.

Then there’s a voice. Robbie hears a light, feminine voice, a voice he trusts, and she is saying, "Breathe, Robbie. Listen to me. In and out, okay? Robbie, I'm right here. I'm _right here."_  

His voice is shattered and hoarse when he responds. "Get away from me."  

"Robbie -"

"Daisy, I said _get away from me."_  

"Okay." Daisy pauses, hovering beside him. "Okay, I'll - okay." She's quiet for a second as Robbie squeezes his eyes shut, taking deep shuddering breaths and trying to calm his racing heart. He feels her retreat and panics once again.

"No -" he coughs suddenly, desperate, choking on his own sobs. "No, don't - I don't know - Daisy - _Daisy -"_

He says her name like a prayer; Daisy is the one thing keeping him corporeal on this rocky plane of existence. She is a mantra, a rhythm, a rock, and Robbie holds on to the sound of her voice like a lifeline. 

_Daisy. Daisy. Daisy._

"Hey," she whispers, her voice gentle. "Hey, it's okay, Robbie. I'm here. It's Daisy. I'm here." 

Very slowly he calms, still curled away from her. Daisy asks softly, "Can I touch you?" 

Robbie hesitates, then says, "Yeah. Y-yeah." 

Daisy reaches out to rest a hand on his back and Robbie shudders, a low moan escaping his lips. “It’s alright,” Daisy whispers, beginning to rub circles into his shoulders, comforting him with the sound of her voice and the smell of her perfume. “I’m here, Robbie. It’s alright. You’re alright.”

When she puts her arms around him, Robbie can’t help it; he collapses into her side and _sobs._ It is the most gut-wrenching, heartbroken sound Daisy has ever heard and she instinctively hugs him tighter, pulling Robbie to his feet again and drying his tears. “Shh,” she coos, and Robbie in this moment knows that Daisy is _home,_ that Daisy is what he’s needed all along. Daisy, who’s been saving him from the moment they met. 

For a moment or an infinity, the pair of them just stay like that, Robbie held in Daisy’s strong embrace as he cries for the first time in years. No walls, no falsities, just the two of them. The sound rips Daisy’s heart into shreds but she holds on tight because she remembers how he stayed with her after nightmares, she remembers how he met her halfway in the dark with only her deepest thoughts. Daisy knows that home is where Robbie is, because Robbie has saved her life time and time again. 

Daisy’s hand brushes against his injured side and Robbie hisses in pain, his face twisting into a grimace. “What?” she asks, urgent, as he grits his teeth and barely refrains from doubling over. “Robbie, talk to me.” 

“Took a hit,” he grunts feebly, unzipping his jacket and tugging his shirt upwards to reveal the angry bruises purpling on his skin. Daisy inhales sharply at the sight of it, and somehow that makes Robbie feel worse. “I was gonna see Simmons, but –”

“No, yeah, I – I get it,” says Daisy softly, her eyes wide with concern. “We need to get you to her, Robbie, that looks bad.”

“Now?” he asks, his voice a rough whisper, and Daisy wants nothing more than to watch a movie with him on her couch, to shield him against whatever world he’s still fighting to leave. Robbie is a good man. He doesn’t deserve this.

Instead Daisy puts on a brave face and nods, watching the way Robbie holds his side. Even with the Rider’s enhanced healing, it’s clear that Robbie is in a lot of pain. It’s a sight Daisy can’t stand for long, something that kills her every second no matter how well he thinks he’s hiding it. “Yeah,” says Daisy. “Now.”

Robbie takes a deep breath and screws up his courage, taking a staggering step forward and throwing an arm around Daisy’s shoulder to support himself. His weight falls heavy on her and she stumbles, adjusting, feeling the way Robbie is shaking against her. “You’ll stay with me?” he asks, and Daisy hears his voice catch on the last word.

“Every step of the way, Robbie,” she whispers in return, pulling him closer as they begin the long trek down the hall and towards SHIELD medical. “I promise you, I’m here every step of the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> kudos/comments are always appreciated. I'm on tumblr at thoughtsbubble if anyone wants to yell with/at me. :)


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